New SkyRise Miami Tower Approved

The public supported the 1,000-foot tower — coupled with a long-term lease extension for Bayside’s operator — by a roughly two-to-one margin. The vote gives developer Jeff Berkowitz approval to begin construction and triggers a $10 million upfront payment to the city of Miami.
At a campaign party held in a private room at the Hard Rock Cafe at Bayside, Berkowitz declared victory upon the release of only early and absentee voting tallies, which favored the agreement by more than 70 percent, according to CBS4 News partner The Miami Herald.
SkyRise will have a observation decks, a rooftop restaurant, nightclub, a "flying" theatre with aerial shots of the Miami skyline, an elegant ballroom, and two amusement-park rides similar to the Tower of Terror, SkyRise Drop and SkyRise Plunge.
It will be the second tallest tower in the United States after the 1,148-foot Stratosphere Tower in Las Vegas.
Berkowitz calls the SkyRise project Miami’s Eiffel Tower.
He says he’s investing some of his own millions, and seeking much of the financing from foreign investors through Miami’s new EB5 financing center, which swaps visas for local investment.
Developers say the project will be complete in 2017 with construction due to begin at the end of this year.
SkyRise is subletting land from Bayside. Under the agreement with the city, if Berkowitz fails to build the tower, GGP would get a shot. Otherwise, the market’s lease will be renegotiated.
For more information visit www.skyrisemiami.com